Television producers are on a mission to clean up the chaos in the arts sector by ensuring that business is done honourably.
Gone are the days when dodgy casting agencies exploit young talented background actors. This comes as several productions have found themselves at the forefront of scandals where the cast have either received their salaries or have not been paid at all.
Last year a similar incident occurred when the cast and crew of the renowned drama series Queendom had to halt filming since live Morris Productions were unable to pay their salary for at least two months. It was later revealed that the company hit a financial setback after an investor withdrew from the project. Meanwhile, Sunday World reported that Queendom was not the only production that experienced setbacks that affected payment, others include Muvhango and Skeem Saam.
Television director Mandla Ngcongwane says that he is well aware of the fact that some casting agencies don’t pay their actors and background actors, but explains that there is not much he can do since these actors are often contracted to the agencies. He added: “When we receive those complaints, we intervene. We’ve already fired more than 10 agencies for the same problem.”
As a precautionary measure, he explained that they have now made the conscious decision to do more research regarding the agencies they choose to work with, ensuring that they are reputable and can do the job.
“We need development and growth, but unfortunately, most new agencies are letting us down. They’d start off nicely and pay background actors, only to rob them in the end,” he continued.
Sharing his sentiments is Skeem Saam publicist Sumaya Mogoloa. “We make sure to always use agencies, in the hopes that they would pay their artists timeously. And we certainly do not stand with those that don’t. If that ever were the case, we would have to intervene. The last thing we would want is for our artists to be or work while feeling dissatisfied,” she stated.
Mandla’s vision is to see more black-owned agencies start to emerge. His plan is to provide them with a workshop to expand their knowledge of how to operate in this business and manage their finances.
Also see: Queendom faces production pause amid financial woes
